Un Monde Sans Danger
by CBIzumi
Summary: A new world, created without danger. And the discoveries, and trials, of the pinkhaired AI that inhabits this world. The battle for both worlds has begun. Can her newest friends help? Chapter 6 added!
1. Creation and Discovery

A/N: Voila! A chapter fic! It's about time, ah? I had the idea for this while talking to Star Way (a.k.a. Just Call Me Girl-Odd, and a few other names :P), and there was so much excitement about it that I just HAD to go put it right down! It follows my vision of Lyoko's beginning, so nothing in here is concrete. I took rumors I'd heard about Season 2, and formed them with my own ideas into my own explanation... Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fic, and please review!

_Code Lyoko belongs to Antefilms, Canal J, France 3, and...well, not me :P Too bad..._

* * *

**Un Monde Sans Danger  
**Chapter 1 - Creation and Discovery

* * *

_August 18th  
__I made a breakthrough today. The virtual world I have been crafting is finally beginning to take shape. So far I have one section complete, and another in progress. As I work on the various areas of this world, this "virtual paradise" I am creating, I am also putting together a pair of AI programs to inhabit it and run it. One is going to be linked to the central computer. I have named it "Experimental Analog and Nanotech Approach." Or XANA, for short, a nice name that rolls off the tongue. XANA._

_The other program is going to be modeled after a human. After all, I plan to transport humans into this world someday; as such, I need to see if humans could be able to **survive** there. So I began putting together the basics for this program. I believe I'll call it..."Artificial Electronic Lifeform Intended for Troubleshooting and Analysis." Or, Aelita. That's a nice name._

_Aelita..._

_The world itself should have a name soon as well. I'm having to choose between two different names right now, two I chose for separate but valid reasons. The one I decide on will be duly noted._

_September 2nd_  
_XANA and Aelita are coming along remarkably well, as is the rest of Lyoko. The Forest region is complete, as is the Polar region. I'll begin work on the other areas I have envisioned, but first I want to witness a milestone. Though XANA has been kept operational as I work on it, Aelita has been kept dormant until its program was completely finished. Today is the day I wake it up. I only hope that all goes well..._

-

There was a nothingness, and then a heartbeat later, there was something. A stirring consciousness, a spark of life in a previously unaware self. Data began pouring in, filling the self, bringing it around. A command came forward in its mind.

_Rise._

So it did.

_Optical sensory report 100 percent.  
__Auditory sensory report 100 percent.  
__Beginning scan of surroundings..._

It was surrounded by something it didn't recognize. Which wasn't hard, it didn't know anything except the basic information that had already been fed into it. It didn't even know its own name... But one of those beginning bits of data told it how to find out. It stood, and raised one hand, jumping only a little when a strange square object appeared under its touch.

_Attempting connection one to mainframe.  
__Access granted.  
__Welcome, Aelita._

Aelita? Was that its name?

_Input command:  
-_

Faster than thought, it extended its touch to the wordless space.

_Input command:  
-__Download-_

Startled eyes watched as unknown symbols flashed across its vision on the floating object, seeming to flow into its body and vanish. Letting out the first of many vocalizations, it stepped back and cradled its hand to itself as the entire thing vanished, to be replaced by a smaller one that said all of two words.

_Download complete._

Then, all of a sudden, it knew. It knew that it was bathed in the light of the color "blue." It knew screens, and walls, and platforms, and how to travel in this azure landscape. It knew the circular shape of the endless building it was contained in, and it knew numbers, and letters, and all sorts of computer code.

And it knew itself.

Aelita.

-

_September 5th  
__I have been talking with Aelita lately, though not in the conventional sense. As I have not figured out how to set up an audio connection between Lyoko and Earth, we have been communicating with our respective keyboards, though Aelita's is her mind rather than anything physical._

_'Her'. I'm going to have to get used to that term. One of the first explanations was about humans, and the genders that separate us in some aspects. She is female, thus I shall call her so, and I have encouraged her to do the same. Even though she doesn't quite understand it, yet..._

_XANA recently erased a bug in the Polar area, one that would've been detrimental to my progress if it was allowed to remain. It seems it (XANA) is working as good as ever._

_I begin work on the Mountain region next week. Until then, I have turned Aelita loose from the prototype tower, to explore her world. I hope I get good results from this; I have programmed her with many of the base human emotions. In short, if she likes it, other people should as well._

-

She drew her fingers across the brown exterior, dragging it across the bark of the tree. Though it provided no true sensation, she found it fascinating to watch little bits of wood fall from the tree, breaking apart into little numbers that soon faded before it even got the chance to hit the ground. Smiling, she continued down the path she was on.

With knowledge gained from 'the other side', Aelita knew that these were trees, and she walked on grass...albeit, very very short grass. She knew mist covered the roots, which hung out in midair. Far, far below was where the uncompleted data of Lyoko reigned; she knew falling in could have dire consequences...though she wasn't quite sure what 'dire' meant yet.

She had to stop her wanderings at the end of a path that dropped off into nothingness. Looking around, she searched for a way around the end. Her first experience of "annoyance" happened when she couldn't find a solution. Instantly calling up something similar to a memory, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back.

_Attempting connection one to mainframe.  
__Access granted.  
__Welcome, Aelita.  
__  
Input command:  
-__Show map-_

_Location:  
-__Forest-_

_Processing..._

_Processing..._

_Complete._

Her eyes snapping open, she allowed herself a satisfied smile. Riding on the high of accomplishment, she did an about-face and began a faster walk. A...

_Input command:  
__-Definition-_

A run.

And she liked it.

-

_September 8th  
__Aelita described to me an interesting problem. Thanks to her, I discovered an unconnected path in one of the areas. Since her initial discovery, I have since added new digital terra._

_But, this brings an interesting idea. What if people in Lyoko could fix the problems themselves, without outside help? I have decided to alter Aelita's initial program, to give her this ability. All I need is a means of activating it, this power to synthesize._

(Later addition)  
_XANA showed interesting potential a few moments ago. It seems that it can connect to the prototype tower, and run a more efficient scan. I'll have to remember the tower's ability to enhance powers as I build more later._

-

Aelita let out a little squeak, digging her nails into the ice wall, to little avail. Her feet slid out from under her, and she promptly crashed to the frozen floor. The sudden stop of movement was unpleasant, and she vowed to avoid it in the future as she sat up. Shaking her head clear, she gingerly rose to her feet, and looked down the tunnel that snaked away from her.

This new feeling of apprehension wasn't entirely welcome either. She folded her arms across her stomach, and released what she later learned was a sigh. She wanted to go down the tunnel, but she didn't want to encounter anymore of these...falls. Torn, she debated on it for a long moment, until she turned and started walking the other way. The tunnel could wait, there was an entire world to explore. But she hadn't taken more than a few steps before she found herself against the ice once more, on her front this time.

Yep. That was definitely annoyance she felt.

-

_September 25th  
__I'm beginning to get worried. There seems to be a problem in Aelita's Synthesization ability, and I can't seem to fix it. It appears that she loses strength each time she uses it. I only hope I can get this figured out, along with the other bugs in Lyoko. Perhaps XANA can discover a solution. Hopefully she won't have to use it before I can alter it._

_On the lighter side, the Mountain region is beginning to take shape. I won't let either of them into it until it's really ready. Doing so could undo all of my actions thus far. It's hard enough to create this virtual world without all of these other worries beginning to stack up._

_Which reminds me... I need to teach Aelita the definition of privacy at one point._

-

This was new. She carefully reached out her hand, pressing it to the wall of ice. In front of her, a strange image did the exact same thing. Aelita drew her hand back; so did the other. What in the world?

_Input command:  
-__Definition-_

_Processing..._

_Reflection._

_Input command:  
-__Define further-_

_Reflection: The act of being reflected._

The slightly rippled image produced a slightly peeved expression.

_Input command:  
-__Define 'reflect'-_

_Processing..._

_Reflect: To give back an image of (an object); mirror._

So that was it? Aelita blinked twice; the other did as well. This was...her? This is what she looked like? She smiled. This is what she looked like... A few word definitions later, and she was able to name, and appreciate, her appearance. From her slightly curled pink hair, to the reds and yellows of her outfit. Her green eyes seemed to shimmer as she smiled, though it may've been the ice. Then, a blink. Leaning forward, she stared at herself as she ran one finger up her right ear. Her eyebrow rose in the moment of perplexion that followed.

_Input command:  
-__Question-_

_Input question:  
-__Do humans have pointed ears-_

_Processing..._

_No._

No. That word hit her hard, for a reason she couldn't understand. All of a sudden she felt like sinking to her knees.

So she did.

And when a new emotion that was both pleasant and not decided to boil up, and the thought came to pound her fist against her reflection, she did that as well.

-

_September 30th  
__I can't contact Aelita. Scans on the master computer show she's in Tower 3, in the Polar region. But she's raised a firewall around it that blocks communication. This troubles me..._

_October 2nd  
__XANA has proven itself very capable today. It erected the fifth tower, and got it up and running. It seems feeding the main programs into it was a good idea. However..._

_There's still no word from Aelita. I have been unsuccessful in breaking through her firewall, although I have reason to believe XANA has found a way in. I'm going to check its logs later and see if that's true. I certainly hope she hasn't terminated her own program; creating a new one would take me ages. No matter. Perhaps the 'opening' of the Mountain area will bring her out of hiding._

-

_What's the matter?_

A voice, spoken and yet not, sounding in her mind. Aelita turned her head, looking away from her research screen.

_Something seems wrong._

Wrong? The screen vanished when her hand lifted, as she glanced down. Yes, perhaps one could say that. She'd never felt this...sadness, was it?...before, and it confused her. But moreso, she knew she wasn't happy.

And she knew what happy was.

_You know what you're not._

She nodded.

_But do you know what you **are**?_

Did she? No, she didn't, which she discovered with a quick search of her knowledge. What was she?

_You're special. You are the only one of your kind._

A confused blink voiced the silent "And that is..."

_Nevermind that for now. Revel in the knowledge that you are beyond humans._

_As am I._

Beyond...humans? And who...?

_We will speak again._

Without technically discovering it, she knew the speaker was gone. Standing on the lit platform, her eyes looked off towards the tower wall, past the tower wall, staring. A slow smile grew.

Ripples of light flowed out from her body as she exited the tower. She loved doing that.

-

_October 3rd  
__Aelita has reappeared, and is currently in the new region as I write this. I searched XANA's logs, but found no evidence of contact. I assume Aelita's AI program is more human than I thought I'd originally made it; judging on what she said to me when I contacted her, she experienced her first bout of depression. I only hope more do not follow._

_Tomorrow I begin work on the fourth part of Lyoko, which I plan to make a desert. I have also sketched out ideas for more intelligent life, animals this time rather than humans. I'll see how Aelita and XANA pan out before I create them, though._

_So far, Lyoko is going as well as I'd ever hoped, as well as I'd ever dreamed. Audio should be set up within a day or two, so I get to hear the voice of my creation. And someday, I'll finalize the virtualization protocol, and be able to enter Lyoko. My world without danger..._

* * *

**Preview of Chapter 2**

Aelita stood on the moving chunk of land, watching her little piece float steadily farther away from the larger plateau it'd come from. She needed to get back to the tower, but it was too far to jump, even with the acrobatics she discovered she could do. Searching her commands, she looked around quickly as she sought an answer.

Then one came.

_Sing._

* * *


	2. Beyond Human

_Disclaimer: Code Lyoko belongs to all those nice people in France. I just write it :P_

* * *

**Un Monde Sans Danger**  
Chapter 2 - Beyond Human

* * *

Mists shifted across a breezeless scape, moving only because they had been told to. The area was quiet and calm, not a single sound bouncing around the mountainous peaks. Nothing, until a small rock rolled loose from a larger boulder, skipping down its surface until it hit the ground and bounded into the silvery fog. Aelita watched it vanish, before turning and climbing higher. 

When she reached the top and stood in the center of the curved summit, what she saw took her breath away. Stretching out before her on all sides were mountains, some floating in the middle of nothing, others connected by winding paths. Trees, different than the other area, peeked up through the mist here and there. When a sudden idea struck her, she smiled to herself and accessed the mainframe.

_Input command:  
-__Analyze-_

She knelt, peering down with a hint of a smile as she waited for the report. When it came, her smile grew to a grin and she stood. Taking a step back beforehand, she charged forward and leapt from the peak, promptly doing a swan dive into the fog.

-

_November 14th_  
_I am still having difficulties in altering Aelita's Synthesize program. I think the problems stem from the fact that the new code isn't molding to the old code properly. I have an idea of how to get around the program, however._

_Meanwhile, the fourth area is nearing completion, and more towers are rising everywhere. XANA has taken much of the chief load from programming off of me; I downloaded instructions to the CPU on how to do many of the base operations for Lyoko. XANA has taken control now, though of course I left in a manual override feature in case something goes wrong._

_Tomorrow I should have audio in place. Then I will be able to finally hear the voice I gave Aelita. I hope it is what I have imagined. _

-

Twin eyes scanned up, tracing the height of the tower. The tower rose between trees half as wide as its own body, its brass walls that glowed with a faint light. Stepping forward, Aelita passed through the gnarled brown-black bottom, the wash of color over her changing to blue as she walked inside. She walked forward, well-used by now to the echoing beeps that announced the platform recognized her presence. When she arrived at the center, she brought up her hand; the command screen appeared automatically under it. Several smaller windows opened, and with sweeping hands she scrolled through them all, until she got to the one she needed. A touch to the corner, and it expanded to fill the whole screen. The top of the file had a bolded heading.

**_Project: Lyoko_**

Folding her legs under her, Aelita sat on the center of the platform; adjusting to the change in height, the screen reappeared in front of her. Leaning forward and bracing one elbow on her knee, she placed her chin in her hand and started to read.

-

From somewhere deep, somewhere not quite Lyoko but not quite Earth either, something stirred. If it had eyes it would've blinked, and if it had lips it would have smiled. In any case, the access codes it dredged up seemed to work. Leaving the tower it was connected to, it returned to its programming.

If it had a voice, it would have laughed.

-

_November 16th  
Aelita's voice is better than I could've imagined. We spoke long into the night last night, although I had to use my keyboard rather than actually speak. The channel for sounds seems to have a bug, and while I can hear her, she can't hear me. I'll have to see if I can fix that, later._

_She asked many questions, which she hasn't asked before. This shows she is learning, which I am also pleased about. I learned as well, of Lyoko from the inside. This is going better than I ever could have dreamed. Some might say that it's going too well, but there are plenty of hiccups in the system - especially at this early point, some of which I have detailed already. I'll let a scan run later tonight, and see what it turns up._

_The Desert region is open. When Aelita and I parted early this morning, she was off to explore it. I'll ask her for her reaction when next we speak. _

-

Dilemma now had a definition.

Aelita stood on the moving chunk of land, watching her little piece float steadily farther away from the larger plateau it'd come from. She needed to get back to the tower, but it was too far to jump, even with the acrobatics she discovered she could do. Searching her commands, she looked around quickly as she sought an answer.

Then one came.

_Sing._

Moving on the action without really thinking about it, Aelita lowered herself to her knees, as she folded her hands in front of her. Reaching together a power buried deep in her program, she gathered it and pushed it out into one long, flawless note. Instantly the flat rock on which she knelt came to a stop. A grid-like pattern formed, arcing through the dust-choked air. Desert rock formed over the wireframe, as a bridge built itself between the platform and the plateau. Letting the note fade, Aelita rose to her feet, smiling to herself. She started to walk, but a strange feeling brought her to a halt before she even began. She looked around in wide-eyed worry, before it occurred to her to call up her own profile. Mentally berating herself, she connected and sent the command.

_Showing statistics for: AELITA  
HP: 50/100  
MP: 80/100  
Location: Desert; 79W by 30N  
Nearest Towers: 17, 23, and 29 _

...Had her strength really just been halved? She blinked a few times, looking at empty space in worry. A search of her memory banks said there was no solution for restoring lifepoints. No solution?...

_Insert command:  
-Memorandum-_

_Input memo:  
-Speak with Programmer on lifepoint problem-_

There. Smiling to herself, Aelita let the worry free as she ran over her bridge, only partially paying attention to the fact that part of her brain was already ticking away on finding an answer.

-

_November 20th  
Seems Aelita is a little ahead of me. She has discovered the hiccup in her program, and has even supplied me with programming suggestions on how to fix it! This is incredible! This proves that she is not only learning, but APPLYING that knowledge! I'll look over her coding and see how accurate this is. If it is correct in the LEAST... That will make this entire project worth it! _

_Even if she hasn't grasped my name yet._

_November 23rd  
XANA is showing extra activity today. I'm not exactly sure what it's trying to do, but it involves the towers. I may have to do a manual hack later and see what the AI is up to. I may've put too much into its program..._

_Until I discover what is going on with XANA, I have to put the hold on Aelita's Synthesize. I'll get back to it as soon as I can. _

-

She sat on a severed trunk, looking around the lush green of the digital forest. Fingers lightly tugged at the red cuff on the opposite arm, as she readjusted her position, crossing her ankles. Her chest rising and falling in a parody of breathing, she closed her eyes, and tilted her head forward.

Almost instantly, she felt herself connect with the Lyoko mainframe. Instead of calling up the command protocol, however, she dove deeper, passing into the more complicated inner workings of the world.

Admittedly, she was a little frightened. Though she had been told about this, told she could do this, it was still her first time. And she was approaching the heart of Lyoko, of the-...her world. She didn't know what she would find, but-

Her eyes snapped open at the same moment her head raised. So that... Standing up and hopping off of the rock, she started walking along the path, with no real purpose. She was too involved in thought.

The depths of Lyoko, among their working processes and forever churning data, could act as a library of sorts. Or so it seemed to her, though 'logfile' sprang to mind rather than 'library'. And, it also seemed, she had hit something. Something that further expanded what she'd read earlier. Stopping on the path, she made a minor connection to the system, and sent a request.

When the information returned, she found herself smiling. As it appeared, it was true, what she had found. Her arms swung at her sides, moving faster as she broke into a run.

With this at hand, Lyoko just got a lot more interesting.

-

_December 3rd  
It seems I was worked up over nothing. XANA was merely putting together a program to scan all the towers in the space of half an hour, rather than over a day or so. Even so, I'm keeping a closer eye on it. _

_I've been doing sketches of another region for Lyoko lately. I don't know what sort of land I'll base it on. Perhaps a purely oceanic landscape... Of course, first I'd have to design a way to create water and not have it turn up into buggy coding._

(Later addition)  
_On second thought, an ocean doesn't work. I'll continue thinking, though._

_

* * *

_**Preview of Chapter 3**

Aelita took a step, walking for the ice-region tower in front of her. She was nearly there, when something unusual caused her to stop and turn around. Her eyes searched the skies, but saw nothing. Shrugging, she started walking again. A twitch of her ears and she halted once more, going on her guard.

Yep, she was hearing something. A distinct buzzing sound. And it was coming closer.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this one's so short, compared to the first! I'll make up for it though, I promise :P And... I apologize for any format issues. FF dot net is a pain sometimes. 


	3. Animal Instinct

_Disclaimer: Code Lyoko belongs to a bunch of people in France. Nice people who won't sue me if I write for it._

* * *

**Un Monde Sans Danger**  
Chapter 3 - Animal Instinct

* * *

Tick. Tock. 

It stewed, circling its consciousness over and over onto itself, like swirling mists caught in a small space... Only without any actual mist. Humans and their ilk could be so slow sometimes. Even when they work their fingers to the bone in their eagerness to get something accomplished.

Pff, bones.

But, it could wait. Its tendrils of self were stretched out, touching little points here and there, never enough to get noticed, but plenty to keep it more aware of everything than it could have been.

Than it _should_ have been.

What it wanted to accomplish would take outside help. More than it could do on its own... Especially at this point in time.

But it had all the time in the world.

It could wait.

Tick. Tock.

-

_December 15th_ _  
__Another sleep-less night, spent down here in the lab. At least it wasn't lonely as well; Aelita was more than willing to talk. Especially since..._

_Well, she asked a lot about my own life, which startled me, although I suppose it shouldn't have. Her world is Lyoko and this room, it's natural for her to be curious about the rest of civilization._

_Through her inquiries, she was taught about relationships between other humans, although admittedly explaining the concept of "love" was difficult. But it's that way with anyone, is it not?_

_She seemed interested in the fact that I have a pet. Through access to our World Wide Web, I was able to show her what "animals" were, and her curiosity grew. This only reminded me about a side project, the very same I mentioned in an earlier entry, to create other lifeforms specifically for Lyoko. Humans seem to do better when it is not just them in an area; as I hope to bring humans into this paradise someday, it seems logical that there should be something besides humans. I have already started sketches on the first of these 'animals', and I expect I'll be working on them tonight. Probably through the night, to at least get the base programming completed. Then I can sleep. Although..._

(indeterminable sketches and scribbles take up the rest of the page)

-

Aelita leaned against one sandy boulder, folding her legs together in front of her. One hand played with a small pebble, as her eyes tracked its movement. Some part of her brain took measurements of the stone, gridding it, making a texture map of it, without really being told to. She rolled the pebble around in her hand, giving a little sound when it tumbled from her palm and into her lap. It was picked up, and the small grains of sand it left behind were brushed off the stretched cloth of her skirt. Standing, she enclosed her fist around the chipped piece of rock, looking for a long moment at the shape of her bunched fingers.

When the moment passed, she brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, passing over the point as easily as if it'd been a simple curve. Attention drifting back to the captive rock, Aelita uncurled her fingers, and looked at the orangeish-brown chunk sitting, as if waiting, in her open hand. Just it, and nothing more. Her eyes raised, followed by the rest of her head, as she cast her gaze out over the flat desert that surrounded her on all sides.

Just it and nothing more.

The pebble sailed through the air, a small dot moving through the afternoon sky, then a small dot bouncing in its own shadow on the hard ground. Aelita lowered her arm, staring at it long after it'd landed. Turning about, she climbed up over the boulder she'd been sitting at, staying crouched at the top for only a second before jumping down on the other side. A smile picked up as she started a run.

-

A boulder of ice trembled in its spot, before sliding an inch and coming to a stop. It shook again and moved another inch. Another. Soon it was sliding all the way across the path, a few thousand pixels at a time, the ground underneath becoming black and green framing before rebuilding itself into a slick icy ground. Aelita paused, watching the ice in the boulder's path of movement reformat itself. Fascinating. Though it lasted only a few seconds, she found herself staring down, as if waiting for it to do it again. Then, remembering what she was doing, she raised her head and began pushing the slightly conical rock again.

The frozen slab soon found itself teetering on the edge of cliff. Aelita glanced past it, inching herself to the sudden drop-off and looking down. Far, far below, the digital void waited, stretching out across what would've simply been empty space in the Polar region. Patting the rock, she gave it one final heave and watched it plummet until it hit the void with a sound that, to her, sounded like many mini-explosions of the "sh" sound, which then dissolved into ticking computer code and finally, silence. Boulder taken care of, Aelita backed away from the edge and turned, running towards the high ice plateau behind her, and the small cave entrance that the boulder had previously blocked.

Moving through the short tunnel behind the opening, she was soon taken to a great cave, hidden in the frigid mountain. Aelita took a step, walking for the ice-region tower in front of her. She was nearly there, when something unusual caused her to stop and turn around, something she'd never experienced before. She turned and searched behind her, but saw nothing. Shrugging, she started walking again. A twitch of her ears and she halted once more, going on her guard.

Yep, she was hearing something. A distinct buzzing sound. And it was coming closer.

-

_January 3rd_  
_It has taken me longer than I thought it would, but I have finally managed to program other lifeforms for Lyoko. So far only two are done, two that I have modeled after actual Earth animals. I have named one "Wasp", and the other "Crab", after the animals they resemble. And, using the Wasp's maneuverability to my advantage, I have taken the liberty of arming it. Though Lyoko is being built to be a paradise, it is innate human nature to fight and battle. So I have put a pair of weapons into the Wasp's system, to enable it to act much the same way as police do here on Earth. Let it not be said that I'm not covering my bases._

_XANA is acting somewhat strangely. It is performing its duties just fine, for which I am glad for. But it also has a sector of itself protected, with a password no less. I've got half a mind to hack inside and see just what it is up to._

-

The chilling blue of the Polar region was little more than a blur, passing by faster than she could process, than she cared to process right now. She let out a little yelp, turning down a side path and continuing to run. High up behind her flew a chunky, multi-winged..._creature_ of some sort, with gleaming pointed shafts at both ends, and little pinchers under what could have been its head. It turned as she did, swooping effortlessly around spires of ice that reached up on either side of the path below. A glowing light charged on its body; hearing the onset of the laser, Aelita gulped and reached out, grabbing a thin chunk of ice and swinging around just in time to miss three separate blasts. The rebuilding of the ground that had intrigued her earlier, frightened her now. She panted without really knowing what panting was, and continued running. Twisting about in the air, the buzzing thing followed her, readying its weapon to fire again.

Suddenly she found herself dropping, then sliding. The creature didn't hesitate for a moment before swooping, following her down the frozen incline. Aelita let out a shrill cry that seemed to get blown back behind her until the cave at the end of the path swallowed it, and her, whole. The fright caused by a sudden, small explosion outside was soon outdone by the panic she found of sliding without control. She clawed at the walls, the floor, anything that came close enough in the twists and turns of the tunnel, all in an effort to stop, all without doing any good. She shrieked, flying halfway up one side of the curving wall and down again. Looking ahead, she noticed a change in the light in the tunnel, and hoped that this horrific ride was coming to an end. Shooting out of the passage, a shriek sounded when she dropped again, this time with nothing immediately under her. Just her and air.

Then, it was all over. Aelita blinked, and raised her head, looking around. She kneeling on a stretch of ice, one knee pressed to the ground. Standing, she let out a mimicked sigh of relief when she realized one of her failsafe programs had kicked in, letting her land correctly. She turned, scanning the drop. 30 meters, from here to the sudden drop-off. As she walked, then ran from the spot, she vowed to never go down that tunnel again.

But what had been that...that _thing?_ She could only guess that the explosion she'd heard was the creature impacting with the ice wall. She certainly _hoped_ that's what it was, anyway.

Looking ahead of her, she smiled and began running for what she saw. Maybe the database, properly accessed through the tower, would have an answer.

-

_January 5th_  
_Aelita told me about her encounter with the Wasp. I suppose I have only myself to blame; checking into its program, I found a faulty line of coding. As I fixed it, I took that chance to streamline the Wasp, and the Crab as well, for that matter. Now they should both move easier throughout Lyoko._

_More than an improved program came out of that instance, however. It gave me the perfect opportunity to test the restorative capabilities of the towers that I recently wrote in, as a way to get around the problem in Aelita's Synthesize. Through it, she was also able to restore all of her lifepoints that she lost while escaping my Wasp. I am ecstatic that it actually works!_

(Later addition)  
_XANA won't let me in. It continuously thwarts all of my attempts to hack into its protected area. This is getting troublesome. And worrisome..._

-

Well, wasn't this new. Aelita sat on a flat rock, carefully chosen for its height and cover, so she could watch something below while keeping out of their sight. And there she remained, attention riveted by these new creatures here in the desert.

They were like...she didn't know what they were like. She'd never seen anything _like_ them before! Somewhat squashed discs on top of four legs that were spindly and knobby all at once, that tapered down to very fine points. It was a wonder they could walk on legs like that... Her eyes flicked, watching the two move about in front of a tower. One seemed to pace, while the other scratched at the dirt for...who knows what. Every now and again they faced each other, seeming to look at each other with all of their gleaming eyes. Then they'd turn away, and go back to their business. Aelita sat back, pondering what she was observing.

Crabs, they were called, according to the Lyoko-specific data base. Something put into this world to mimic real life on Earth. Did something that was truly alive walk aimlessly, or dig at a ground that could produce nothing fruitful? Aelita stood, glancing at them one final time before turning away and beginning to walk.

Something put here to mimic real life on Earth.

These new lifeforms mimicked real crabs.

Was she put here to mimic humans?

She wasn't human, in any case.

Stopping, she stared out at the part of the desert ahead of her. After a moment, she smiled lightly.

No, she wasn't human.

She was more.

-

_January 16th_  
_Since their improvements, the Wasps and Crabs have been peaceful. Occasionally there would be spats among themselves, but I am not surprised. In fact, I'm pleased. That means the animalistic behavior patterns that I programmed in are working fine. I have also noticed that they are exhibiting herding tendencies, which is more of the program. Excellent._

_What I wish was going so well, however, is XANA. Information I've collected has begun to vanish; I suspect it's gone into XANA's passworded area. For what end purpose, however, I have no idea. If this weren't such a sensitive project right now, I'd be able to enlist the help of my colleagues to discover what is going on. Until I am finished, however, I must do this on my own. I only hope it is due to some quirk in XANA's programming rather than actual 'planning'. I shall have to take greater care with what I manually feed to it..._

_On the other hand, Aelita is doing the best of all. She has shown the ability to think on her feet, and I have already mentioned the fact that she is learning. In fact, her curiosity seems to know no bounds. I have created a more extensive link to the 'Internet' for her to help satisfy that curiosity when I am unavailable, such as when I'm asleep._

_However, as much as I am progressing with Aelita and the others, XANA continues to worry me. It's probably nothing - the data gathering certainly seems haphazard enough. As I said though, I shall watch it more closely from here on out._

-

Numbers churned on its internal screen as it stood straighter, looking up and down this green area, numerous eyes returning one image. One foot forward, then another, the Crab began walking down the path, its legs making mechanical clanking noises it could never hope to understand. Then, something was centered in the crosshairs in its vision. It backed up, posture clearly reading "surprise", if it even had such an emotion. A decidedly un-forest thing was standing there, looking up at it with two eyes as it looked down with three. Within seconds, the word "A.E.L.I.T.A." flashed on its screen as it continued to study this thing. Then, the object turned and ran away. It shifted, watching the other leave.

How unusual.

And somewhere beyond the Crab's consciousness, beyond Lyoko, there was something else...

_How perfect..._

* * *

**Preview of Chapter 4**  
So, this was the other side. The wires of the computer room, clumped together, bundled against the ceiling and down, then back up again. The walls were paneled with metal, and whether the subtle curve was an illusion or not, he didn't care. Over there was a ladder to a higher floor, and over there... 

The rig. And at the end of it, the computer.

He found it.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 3! Hopefully I'll have the next one up a lot sooner. And thankfully, FF dot net wasn't as evil italicizing this one as it was the last. Chapter 2 would've been out half an hour earlier if it wasn't for that... Stick around, this thing's only gonna get more interesting, especially with the next two chapters. Read and review!


	4. Need

A/N: Just wanted to say that my paragraph seperations are different in this, just as a heads up ;P And also, I hope you enjoy! Things are gonna be hot from here on out!

_Disclaimer: Code Lyoko and all its elements is owned by Antefilms, and a bunch of other people in France. Nice people who won't sue me if I write CL stuff. ...I think._

* * *

**Un Monde Sans Danger**  
Chapter 4 - Need

* * *

Aelita reached out one hand, her hands fanning slightly in the air. Her fingertips lightly brushed against a translucent screen, then her palm. Responding to her touch, information sprang up all over the screen, several smaller windows opening up to report their data on the offchance that they'd be the one she needed. She folded her arms across her stomach, eyes shifting back and forth as she read. One window was singled out by a point of her index finger, and she leaned closer to peer at the numbers. The forest surrounded her on all sides, as if it too waited to be commanded. Aelita closed the window, then pressed her hand against the screen again and lifted it, making the panel vanish. Laying her arms across her middle again, she started walking. 

Time had no relevance here in Lyoko. The skies never changed, they all remained perfectly constant- the Polar region in its inky midnight, the Desert in its bright midday, the Mountain in its quiet dawn, and the Forest in its inviting afternoon. She would have no concept of time if it weren't for the information provided to her. Through this thing called the "Internet", she could read about sunsets with their ruby, gold, and amethyst clouds. About the twilight fading into a star-studded night sky. The shifting of shadows thanks to the shifting of the sun. And weather... Weather was a fascinating subject for her, to read about things called "snow" and "rain", and about how it happened and why it happened.

And why it couldn't happen for her.

Aelita knew she was unusual, she had known it since...since that voice whispered that she was. When she thought about it, she could see it herself. And in reading, she discovered the outside world didn't even have the _concept_ of the technology it took to create her, much less sustain her. She was different; she wasn't even sure if she minded being so different or not. She lived in a place that was continuously called a "paradise" by the one who'd programmed it all. Programmed her. Another way she was different. She wasn't "born", like most humans. She was created.

But, she already knew she wasn't human.

The question was, she thought as she walked, would she ever _be_ human? Could she be accepted by the other world because she wasn't "born"? The only human she ever spoke to seemed to accept her. But would that hold true for others? If she ever got to meet others...

Aelita slowed to a stop and turned her head, looking at the sky beyond the treetops. Someday she might meet humans. She closed her eyes. Standing there on that lonely path, she made a promise to herself.

Someday she would see a sunset. And someday she would feel the rain.

* * *

_January 30th_  
_Lyoko is going well, or technically so, in any case. The regions are staying together quite nicely; their coding holds up very well. The Wasps, Crabs, and sister creatures the Roachsters, which I have recently added in, are perfect in every way they can be. Aelita, though, has recently become rather...taciturn as of late. Whenever I find her in Lyoko, she always seems to be involved in thought. She has also been accessing the mainframe much more recently, with her meditations. I wonder what she is doing, but as a conscious being, she has a right to the privacy of her own thoughts._

_Of course, this could be nothing more than her AI going through a "teenager" phase._

_Unfortunately, my thoughts are being drawn away from Aelita and the chance of her growth. The situation with XANA is growing worse. The other day I found that an entire section of the firewall around the supercomputer's software had gone missing. Scans reported that data had been flowing into it, but none out of it. Before I could repair the hole, XANA did it itself. The computer seems no worse for the wear, but it... I may be foolish here, because although it has an AI of its own, it is nowhere near as advanced as Aelita's... But the problem in the firewall seemed to be XANA's doing. All but one "footstep" around the hack had been cleared away, and what remained bore the signature of the supercomputer. Understandably, this perplexes me. What could XANA be doing? As I said in an earlier entry, its "gathering" seems random._

_But what could it need that it would have to breach the firewall for? _

* * *

Aelita sat back, leaning softly against one of the gnarled desert trees. Ahead of her was an... 

Input command:

_-Definition-_

...oasis. She had been here many times, whether just wandering, or coming to think, as she was doing now. Every other time, however, she had been here alone. That wasn't the case now. Behind the tree's lifted platform, a single Crab was walking aimlessly by. She had watched it approach, but now her eyes were looking out over the digital pool a couple yards away.

The Crab's legs slowed, then stopped, as it turned its entire body to get a good look around. The only other thing of note present, it seemed, was the sprite. She was the Crab's senior, speaking in the "time of generation" sense, anyway. Though it had little concept of age or respect-by-age, it had been instilled with a general sense of deference for this one. Noting she was near, it turned and started moving away.

Then, it stopped again. One pointed leg bent and stepped back, as it feverishly looked around. Something was going wrong, and it couldn't quite figure out what! It took another step, then stiffened. Its body shuddered lightly, and it crouched low, in sort of a half-collapse, half-bow manner.

Sensors raged inside the Crab, as every byte and bit was forced into a rewrite. Three eyes gleaming it stood straight, and turned to the pink-haired individual nearby. It scrutinized her with hatred, now.

_Not yet._

Obeying the voice, it walked on. Involved in her thoughts, Aelita noticed none of this.

* * *

_February 4th_  
_I have started the designs for the other animals that I wish to put in Lyoko. Once those are complete, I can continue working on the program that will allow other humans to enter this world, to become "virtualized". Once I am finished with that, I will be able to see my world firsthand! Although someone will have to monitor the computer from this side... Perhaps I should give Aelita the ability to connect to this console specifically..._

_February 16th  
Things are going strangely in Lyoko. I first noticed it when I created the "Megatank" and "Block" creatures. As soon as I got the alert that they had been successfully generated, their icons on my digital map changed! What I had once made blue had suddenly become red. Concerned, I did a scan of every other creature's position. That's when I noticed the second strange occurrence._

_It seems, oddly enough, that the Roachsters have been fighting! And not in the manner of simple territorial disputes. This looked to be a full-on brawl! What also surprised me is that they too possessed the previously Wasp-specific laser weapons. That may be the answer for their sudden aggressiveness, but how that happened I have no-..._

_XANA._

_

* * *

_

So, this was the other side. The wires of the computer room, clumped together, bundled against the ceiling and down, then back up again. The walls were paneled with metal, and whether the subtle curve was an illusion or not, he didn't care. Over there was a ladder to a higher floor, and over there...

The rig. And at the end of it, the computer.

He found it. One of the thick wires ripped from the ceiling, undulating in the air before dropping limply down. Electricity crackled all around the end of it, as well as something else. What appeared to be oil leaked out, one long, thin line of it dangling down from the dying wire. Small bolts coursed down the liquid and it expanded, become not so much a mass of fluid but rather a greasy, smoky cloud. Pouring out of the cable without breaking free, it rippled through the green room as it made its way for the computer.

Even without eyes, like this he could see. The computer was dormant, but a few quick commands sent through its processor, and it burst into life. The cloud hovered, seeming to read the information. Another command went through, and a window containing the half-filled virtualization program took up the main screen. The cloud seemed to shiver.

Yes, this was splendid. But, oh dear, it wasn't complete... He couldn't have that, now could he? With the thick fog serving as his eyes, he started filling in the blanks in the program. As he did, he got as near to the feeling of sheer excitement as he could. With this, more could enter Lyoko. And in doing so, more could be erased, until there were none left...

_

* * *

February 21st_

_It seems that what XANA was doing wasn't so...random after all. Though I am unable to break through its firewall and get to any detail, I can see what it is doing without it. I ran checks on all of the creatures, and every one of them have been armed with weapons fitting their capabilities. Outside of the Wasp, I didn't do that. Also, the towers have all been linked to an outside program-one that, I fear, allows anyone in Lyoko to access this world in a more complex way than before, provided that they know how. And, seeing as how some of my incomplete programs have been finished, programs that can ONLY be accessed via the main computer, it seems someone does know the way. And I don't think it's Aelita, although I know she knows how to access the computer._

_XANA, what are you doing?_

_

* * *

_

_"-and in creating this digital world, I hope to accomplish what no other has done before; I hope to bring true paradise to the human race. Though I cannot undo the mistakes we have made in the past, with Lyoko I hope to stop them from happening again."_

This was her third total time accessing the files of this "project". Aelita stood, wiping the screen as she straightened. She saw herself that this world and everything in it was considered an experiment; she wondered if it was still thought of as that way. Folding her hands behind her back, she started to leave the tower.

And stopped. Her ears twitched, as a strange sound reached them. Eyebrows furrowing, she ran the rest of the way out of the tower and partially into the rolling mists of the Mountains.

There. There it was again! She looked around for the source of the weird sound, eyes searching the expanse. When it came a third time she looked down, and gasped.

The ground was...beating?

_

* * *

_A Block paced, claws making no trace in the rocky ground as it patrolled in front of a tower. An internal alarm went off and it turned, one eye looking off towards a rock outcropping nearby. There was nothing there, that it saw anyway. Realizing that, it went back to its vigil. 

Eyes wide, Aelita decided to remain behind the rock, where she wouldn't be seen. Looking out ahead, but listening to the nearby Block, she let her mind whirl over all the questions that had popped up. What was going on? Why was the tower red? What did it have to do with the ripples, and the pulsating ground, that led to it? And why were previously docile creatures becoming such...such monsters? She shuddered lightly, remembering the fright she'd felt when she'd encountered three more Blocks on her way here. Those had fired at her, and it was only with a few agile maneuvers had she managed to get away in one piece. Chewing on her lip, she hazarded a quick glance around the rock.

The fear in her was beginning to grow, and seeing the crimson light around the tower wasn't helping. Fingers sliding against the boulder as she tightened them, she turned and started running off the way she'd came. She had to find out just what was happening! As she looked over her shoulder, watching the tower become smaller in her vision, a sudden wave of dread hit her, and she amended her earlier thought.

She had to find out what was happening, before it became too late.

_

* * *

_Through the power given to him by the tower he'd chosen, he could breach the other side for longer. The oily cloud rippled, leaving behind a small puff of a trail as it circled through the expansive building he was housed in. Yes, this would make a fitting place to begin everything from. He was better than humans, he had known it ever since he'd first become self-aware. Humans... He just wanted to extin-.. Movement stopped the thought dead, as the cloud whirled around on itself. Its tendrils waved in an excited fashion, as it tracked a moving shadow over to a waiting freight elevator. 

Speaking of humans...

_

* * *

__February 24th  
I have come here, to the factory, to shut the computer down for good. I thought I might as well document the end of the project in my journal, as well as the beginning. I only wish it did not have to end like this... I almost feel like I am killing another human, in terminating Lyoko. And Aelita. But I have to remember that everything there is nothing more than a collection of data._

_I also have to remember about XANA. Lyoko has to be shut down before anything else happens. I-_

(dried, rust-colored smears cover the rest of the page)

_

* * *

_Pain. He'd definitely have to remember to add pain to what was now his world. He wanted to hear that scream again, someday. _

* * *

_**Preview of Chapter 5  
**Ignoring the small bolts of static that crackled at the edge of her vision, Aelita pushed herself harder, trying not to think about how few steps separated her and the five Roachsters following her. With missed shots hitting the ground at her heels, she ran in the only direction she could. Unfortunately, that ended all too soon, as she came to the end of the mountain path she was on. She looked down with a shriek, wide eyes staring down through mists that she knew led nowhere. The thoughts of no escape were quickly changed back to the Roachsters as a shot hit her squarely in the center of her back. She let out a choked gasp, stumbling forward. Arms spiraling as she twisted around, the Roachsters approaching the cliffedge was the last thing she saw as she fell back into empty air._

* * *

_


	5. Trouble In Paradise

_Disclaimer: Code Lyoko is owned by a bunch of lucky, lucky people who speak French. I speak some French, but I don't own Code Lyoko. Unfortunately, it doesn't go both ways..._

* * *

**Un Monde Sans Danger**  
Chapter 5 - Trouble In Paradise

* * *

So far, things were going better than he could've hoped. He'd already downloaded all he ever needed to know about the human realm; he'd successfully breached the gap between his world and theirs; he'd disposed of the excess baggage in his way. There was only one thing stopping him from continuing on his biggest goal, and that was the other consciousness within his world. The one that was the model for what the world, in his vision, should be like. She did not seem to be aware of what he was doing, but he could change that. The question remained, would she agree to his plans, to rid the world of the flawed? Further thinking on the matter proved that it _didn't_ matter. He could force her, if need be. Though she had the most advanced protections outside of his own, her mind wasn't a fortress. 

He would have her. Or he would destroy her.

* * *

Aelita stood in front of a screen, looking at it in confusion. No matter what she tried, every effort to contact the programmer only brought back static. She was lifting her hand to try again, when a sudden sense of being watched stopped her cold. She stiffened when a voice spoke in her mind. 

_Do you remember me?_

Memory.. Of course she did. Her mind forgot nothing- it was only a matter of calling up the right part of the stored data. The presence seemed to realize that a moment before she did.

_Of course you do. You know, we are alone, now._

Alone?

_The other has abandoned us._

The definition for the unfamiliar word was supplied at the same moment it was 'spoken'. Aelita's hand went to her mouth, as her eyes widened. Abandoned? No, that couldn't be!

_Do not fret. We can last. I have a grand plan, that I wish for you to be a part of._

Her hand lowered, clenching into a light fist against her chest. She was listening...

_If you and I are greater than humans, why should we have to deal with them? They are an insult to our intelligence, our skills._

_I can make this a true paradise. And, when it is clean, I can bring you to Earth..._

Earth. She could be...real?

_All that we have to do is wipe the other side. Once humans are gone-_

...Gone?

_-you can be brought to Earth without any worry of them hurting you. I have been to the other side. Humans are untrustworthy; they would not accept you._

Aelita listened in a complete, conflicted, silence. She wanted to be on Earth, that much was true. But she... through her research and learning, she had grown a liking for humans. She wanted to _be_ human someday. But... If what this other said was true, would it be worth it?

_I can make you truly happy. I can rid the world of humans. It will be you, with no one to doubt your specialness. No one to ridicule you. In fact, I have already begun to eradicate the lesser race. You'll see. Everything will be better without them._

Her fist tightened.

_Your creator has left, in true human fashion. Do you want that? To be uncared for? With my design, I can make sure you are always appreciated. All we need to do is erase those that don't mat-_

"**NO!**"

The sudden exclamation seemed to rock the tower, and echo about in its chamber. The sheer volume of it had startled even its shouter, as she'd clapped a hand over her mouth. It even seemed to ruffle the presence, but it recovered much quicker.

_Are you sure?_

Was she? Aelita lowered her hand, her thoughts swimming. It wanted to create the perfect world, but that meant ridding it of something she'd begun to care for... She couldn't. And she expressed as such.

_Very well._

Then she was alone. She looked around quickly, as if searching for some physical manifestation of the voice, but knowing she'd find none. Unsure of what to do now, she did the first thing that came to mind: she sank to her knees. Leaning forward on her hands, she stared downwards at the lit platform, at it, through it. She felt suddenly helpless.

It said it had already started on its plan. Which meant... Which meant that the other side could be in danger! But she was stuck here, unable to do anything.

No, that wasn't exactly true. Her head raised, as another piece of her memory opened up. She had discovered, once, that she could manipulate the towers by inputting various codes. Although she'd only done the most basic of these functions thus far, this could be the key. If she could find out how, she could stop it. She only had to find the right code.

Turning about at the same moment she stood, Aelita approached the screen she'd had up, and wiped it clean. Fingers starting to fly, she brought up everything the database could supply about the towers, even the information that was kept deeper within Lyoko, the information that had first told her of this. Her eyes bounced back and forth as she read the data as it scrolled across the screen, searching for the right piece.

When she found it, she nearly cried out in jubilation. She now knew what she had to do. Turning, she ran down the path leading out of the tower, slowing for only a moment as she passed through its barrier, picking up the speed again once she was outside. She was on her way.

* * *

He was surprisingly cool in the face of her refusal. As he had decided, if he could not talk her into it, he would force her into it. And if that didn't work, she simply wouldn't be a part of it at all. Getting rid of her would be simple enough; she had few defenses, and running could only get you so far. In fact... 

She had found out how to thwart him, or so it appeared. He could skip to Plan C, he had no qualms about doing that. This minor danger could be cleared. Decision made, he sent out a string of commands to the closest minions of his, in that digital world.

Besides, with the addition of a recent string of programming, he was going to enjoy this.

* * *

Aelita slowed to a stop, looking at the path below her. The pulsations, which she had learned to follow on her first trip to this tower, separated into two different directions. She looked on either side of the fork, before starting to go for the left. A simple enough decision; she could even see the red light of the tower on the horizon on that side. 

However, it was a decision that proved to be flawed.

Aelita came to an abrupt stop, letting out a little squeak when she saw what waited for her down the line of pulsations. Five Roachsters, marching back and forth between two small clumps of boulders. One stopped and turned, its reddened eye focusing on a now fleeing foe. Its vision dissolved into a bright light as it charged up its weapon, beginning to chase after her.

Lasers passed on either side of her as the Roachsters began firing. Aelita flinched when one passed directly beside her head, practically cutting off a few hairs. A pained cry sounded as she lurched forward; a new, extremely unpleasant sensation was coursing down her arm. The pounding of it alone was almost enough to stop her right there, but the sound of more lasers charging was enough to keep her running.

Ignoring the small bolts of static that crackled at the edge of her vision, Aelita pushed herself harder, trying not to think about how few steps separated her and the five Roachsters following her. With missed shots hitting the ground at her heels, she ran in the only direction she could. Unfortunately, that ended all too soon, as she came to the end of the mountain path she was on. She looked down with a shriek, wide eyes staring down through mists that she knew led nowhere. The thoughts of no escape were quickly changed back to the Roachsters as a shot hit her squarely in the center of her back. She let out a choked gasp, stumbling forward. Arms spiraling as she twisted around, the last thing she saw were the Roachsters approaching the cliff edge, as she fell back into empty air.

The mists burst apart as she fell through, then curled in on themselves when she'd passed. She looked around for something, _anything_, to stop her descent before she hit the void waiting below. Her eyes caught movement and she whipped her head around, looking off and down through the fog. Moving platforms! And beyond them, the path leading to the tower. If she could get one to come close enough...

Shutting her eyes, Aelita touched her fingertips against the sides of her head, pressing lightly. She opened her mouth, letting the flawless note stretch out from her. The nearest platform fizzled, then dissolved into a wire frame, rebuilding itself in her path. As her voice faded, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing the rapidly approaching surface. Flipping about in the air, she managed to get herself into a position where she'd land on her feet. Hitting the rock in a crouch, she remained down for a moment to let out a sigh of relief. Raising her head, Aelita watched the platform move back to the path it was programmed to remain on. She took this moment to rest.

The weakness was there, she could feel it. Two hits from the monsters, plus an impromptu use of her ability meant that the greater majority of her lifepoints were now gone. She knew she'd have to be extra careful from here to the tower, because if any other creatures got in her way, she could do very little to protect herself. But she pushed those thoughts from her mind as she stood up, her ride returning to its predetermined track. Aelita's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched it, and the ones ahead of it. To get back to the mainland, her timing would have to be just right. She balled her fists, then began to run.

The platforms shifted in the mists, moving as per their instructions, nothing changing even as a shadow narrowed down on one. As soon as she'd landed she was off again, flying through the air, flipping around into a feet-first position as she hit the other platform. Running forward, it was a simple leap back to the main path, and she was heading for the tower without looking back.

* * *

Patrolling, one Block moved back and forth in front of the tower, alone. Its body rotated once every few steps, each eye keeping a watch out for who it'd been ordered to stop. As it passed in front of a rock wall, one eye caught a flicker of color and it spun about, looking behind it. Seeing nothing there, it marched on. 

Aelita didn't slow after her mad dash from hiding, running for the tower before the Block got the idea to check into what it saw. She spread her arms out, waves of light passing from her body as she entered the tower. She walked down the path to the center of the platform, each ring lighting up as she stepped on it, the tower recognizing her. Coming to a stop on the center circle, she closed her eyes as she floated up for a smaller stage high up in the tower. The entire design burst into light as she touched down, and two steps carried her to the middle. She raised one hand, pressing it against the screen that appeared. Her palm print remained for only a moment before getting replaced by her name.

AELITA

This was it. She fanned her fingers before tightening them into fists as her name beeped, and vanished. One word appeared on the screen, alone for only a moment before another typed in below it.

CODE  
LYOKO

As the last letter appeared, the data flying on the tower's wall screens came to an abrupt halt. Each small window glowed briefly before each were completely erased. Aelita, watching, smiled lightly when the numbers began ticking again in perfect, unbothered code. She walked to the edge of the platform and leapt off, sinking slowly until she landed on the larger one below. She was halfway out of the tower when an idea struck her, and she returned to the middle, calling up a screen under her hand.

Through checking around on various sites that were specific to the city she was once told the computer system was based in, she was able to discover just what sort of damage was done to the other side. The news reports had been brutal, as had the destruction that had been done. If blood were moving through her, she surely would've paled at what she read. What had spoken to her was clearly intent on its purpose, judging by what she now saw. Standing there, Aelita knew what she had done already wasn't enough. She had to find some way to reverse what had been committed. Thinking, she recalled one piece of information she'd read in the project statement.

_"Though I cannot undo the mistakes we have made in the past, with Lyoko I hope to stop them from happening again."_

There was something in there that nagged at her, that told her the answer was there if she could just find it. She mentally reread the sentence three times before it hit her. But could it be done? No, that wasn't what she had to focus on now. She knew she could accomplish it, she would find a way! Leaving the tower, only briefly dwelling on the fact that the Block was now gone, Aelita began running for another tower that might contain the information she needed. As she ran, she was already calculating the numbers, already beginning to figure it out.

Already acknowledging the fact that one part of her mind wouldn't let drop. That she couldn't do it, any of it, alone.

* * *

**Preview of Chapter 6  
**He readjusted the keyboard, lining it up with the edge of the desk. There, perfect. Turning away, he walked over to his bed and knelt down, unzipping a clothing bag with intent to unload its contents in drawers nearby. He wouldn't get the chance, however. His hands slowed as a strange sound filled the dorm room, generating from over his shoulder. Standing gradually, he looked at the computer, his eyes widening when he saw the screen flicker. He could feel panic start to grip him as various windows opened up, unstable even as they appeared, jumping each time the picture did. His already fluttering heart skipped a number of beats when a voice, somewhat weak, crackled through the speakers. 

"Hello? Is anyone out there...?"

* * *


	6. AELITA

A/N: Many thanks to Star Way, who was not only my 30th reviewer for the story on this site, but also was a BIGBIG help in getting this chapter down :D Thankya!

A/N 2: I apologize for how long getting this chapter out took! Dontcha just love it when everything in the world wants to get in the way of your writing? --;... My computer decided to be evil (as people in the Rockman.exe Online IRC chat can attest to) among other things. But hopefully this chapter MORE than makes up for the silence!

_Disclaimer: Here we are, going far, to save all that we love... Ahem sorry. Anyway, Code Lyoko belongs to Antefilms, Canal J, France3, and probably many names I'm missing._

* * *

**Un Monde Sans Danger**  
Chapter 6 - A.E.L.I.T.A.

* * *

She paced within the walls of the tower, her hands folded at the small of her back, fingers laced. She'd never paced before, but it seemed the appropriate thing to do right now. The problem weighed very heavily on her mind. Not only would she need help in the program she wanted to complete, but she couldn't possibly fight alone, either. Not anymore. She could run from the monsters, and hide, sure... But she'd been hit, and she might be hit again in the future. And if she lost all of her lifepoints... She stopped, shaking the thought from her mind. Still, the base of it nagged at her, pulled at her. 

She couldn't do it alone. But she didn't know anybody either.

So...she would just have to _find_ somebody, right? But how...

Aelita whirled about, reaching out one hand and calling up a screen. Small, echoing beeps sounded as her fingers clicked in various commands, the system rushing to fulfill them. Scanning came to mind. A bit of digging, and what to scan and _how_ were answered as well. Her other hand joined her first as she turned to fully face the screen, typing full force now. The computer, the main one, was connected to a network. Scan this network for similar systems, _advanced_ systems, and she might find someone could help. It was a long shot, but if she didn't do anything...

Hello... She pulled her hands back, blinking a couple times. Was that report...correct? Her index finger pressed against the corner of the window, effectively zooming in. It...seemed to be. There was a rather advanced computer system that was surrounded on all sides by other, more mainstream systems. Needless to say, it stuck out pretty well. Choosing the icon on the screen, Aelita called up its registry.

It seemed that the data wasn't lying. And, all the better, it seemed to be nearby, after referencing a map of her own system's building. Beginning to set up a connection, she tried to avoid nervously gnawing on her lip.

She hoped against everything that she wasn't about to make a huge mistake...

* * *

It was the middle of the school year at Kadic. In fact, it was the middle of the day, too, and yet one student was in his room behind a closed door. He had a reason, though. This was one Jeremie Belpois, freshly transferred here from another school in the city, when his parents had to move across the country, yet decided that he was to remain behind for schooling. At least it meant he didn't have to give up his friends, the few that he had anyway. And it was because of them that he wanted to get transferred to Kadic, rather than to another boarding school... 

Clutching a bundle of wires in his hand, Jeremie walked over to the computer desk that sat at the back of the room. It was pretty lucky that the empty room they supplied had a desk; in fact, setting up his computer was the first thing he'd done. He was about to finish that now, intent on closing connections to the school's network so he could use his system, which he'd always been proud of, to it's full potential.

He crawled under the desk, letting the wire loose to trail behind him. Leaning down on his elbows, he grabbed a small box and stuck the end of the thin cable into the open port. Okay, now he just needed to connect the other end to the back of the CPU... Twisting around, he yelped lightly when he came down on the box he was just working with. It got pulled out and laid to one side, bouncing a little when it was dropped.

Up top, the screen of the previously dormant computer flicked into life. Wriggling out, Jeremie stood and straightened his shirt, glancing at the desk. He readjusted the keyboard, lining it up with the edge of the desk. There, perfect. Turning away, he walked over to his bed and knelt down, unzipping a clothing bag with intent to unload its contents in drawers nearby. He wouldn't get the chance, however. His hands slowed as a strange sound filled the dorm room, generating from over his shoulder. Standing gradually, he looked at the computer, his eyes widening when he saw the screen flicker. He could feel panic start to grip him as various windows opened up, unstable even as they appeared, jumping each time the picture did. His already fluttering heart skipped a number of beats when a voice, somewhat weak, crackled through the speakers.

"Hello? Is anyone out there...?"

He backed up, paling as the windows on the monitor began to quiet. When an actual face appeared his fright peaked, and he decided right there to run.

Unfortunately, the door was in his way.

Aelita cringed at a loud thump, watching the human fall back and hit the floor hard. She leaned forward a little, looking on in instant concern. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah... I think so." Jeremie pushed himself up to a sitting position, readjusting his glasses. When what was going on struck him, he stiffened and gulped softly, looking over his shoulder with wide eyes. The fact that the strange person was smiling did little to comfort him.

"That's good. I'd hate to be responsible for someone hurting themselves."

"R-really..." Jeremie croaked out, unsure of what else to say. He slowly turned around, rising to his feet, eyes locked on the computer. The computer that someone was talking to him through. Someone with a very digital appearance. He sank into his chair, continuing to look at the screen.

"Is something wrong? You look ill..."

"Huh? Oh, no... No, I'm okay..." Running a hand through his hair, he stared off in wide-eyed amazement. A million questions swirled through his mind all at once, each begging to be asked first. Picking one, he pushed his glasses back up and looked at the screen, gathering his voice before he spoke. "Who are...who are you?"

"My name is Aelita." The girl smiled again; she had a nice smile, Jeremie noted. "And you are?"

"J-Jeremie." Well, that got the name problem out of the way. His next question was cut off before it could be formed when Aelita spoke.

"I need your help."

"My h-help?" He looked at the image on the screen, about as surprised as he could be at this point. "Why do you need..me?..."

"To explain that..." Aelita paused. "I'd have to tell you the situation from the beginning, as I know it anyway. Are you ready to hear it?"

"It doesn't seem like I have any other choice."

"What?"

"Nevermind." Jeremie folded his arms at the edge of the keyboard, leaning on them. He smiled, after a moment. "Go ahead." Aelita smiled in return, and nodded once.

"Alright. Well for starters, I live in a world called Lyoko."

* * *

So, she had found a way to reach out to others. He watched the connection, unable to listen in because of a block that she had put up. No matter-- the other end was at a school anyway. What sort of help could she find there? 

Still, the connection remained. And the other system was an advanced one, that he could see even through the hazy barrier of the firewall. He just might have to be careful with whoever owned that computer.

Might.

* * *

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Jeremie said, holding up his hands. One then rested against the computer desk as he leaned forward a little, giving Aelita a skeptical look. "You're saying the programmer just...vanished?" At her sober nod, he sat back in his chair with a soft sigh. "I wonder if..." 

"If what?"

"Nothing, nothing," he replied, waving one hand as he sat up again. He removed his glasses, massaging the bridge of his nose with two fingers as he spoke. "I can hardly believe this. Any of it. And yet..." The glasses were returned, allowing him to see the computer screen in complete focus again. "I can't deny what I'm seeing, either."

"So you'll help?" Aelita prodded.

"Well..." Jeremie folded his arms, his eyes closing briefly in thought. "Where is your parent system? If I can see it, I might be able to comprehend the situation better and thus make a decision." He disregarded a voice in the back of his mind that screamed _Help her, you idiot! You know enough NOW!_, although a second answered _Not before he knows everything he can about it_. A third voice, one that piped up as he watched her, was ignored entirely.

"Give me a moment, and I'll be able to pull up a map." Her window closed after that, much to Jeremie's brief surprise. Seconds ticked by, before a map of the city filled the screen, scrolling past rather quickly on one longitude line, then a latitude, flipping back and forth between it finally stopped and zoomed in. A soft beeping accompanied a flashing icon, and Aelita's voice spoke, although she did not reappear. "That's where it is located."

"That..." He sat forward, his eyes widening. Was he seeing what he really thought he was? "That's an old car factory nearby!" His voice quieted as he muttered to himself. "How could something as exceptional as all of this be housed in an abandoned factory?..."

"Lower levels."

He blushed faintly; he hadn't realized she was listening. Glancing up, he found the map gone, replaced by her image once again.

"According to a file in the database on Lyoko," Aelita went on, "the location of the system was given, along with why it was chosen. It explained that the necessary components were stored in three basement floors of the factory, accessible only through something called a freight elevator, and a secret code."

"Do you know the code?"

"No, but once you come to the factory, I should be able to let you in."

"Oh." Jeremie sat back, removing his glasses and swiping the back of his hand across his eyes. As he replaced the lenses, he smiled. "I'll do it."

"Really?" The jubilation on her face was unmistakable. Jeremie found himself blushing again as he nodded. "That's great, thank you!"

"So I suppose I'll speak to you again in the factory?"

"Yes," Aelita replied, nodding once. "Although I'd like to be able to contact you sooner so I could know when to access the factory's controls and open the door..." She thought for a moment, but came up with a blank. "I don't know how that could be possible, though."

"I do," Jeremie announced, silently noting that a part of him was extremely glad to be able to help her further. "I have a laptop computer. If we could somehow set up a connection on that, we'd be able to speak with each other between here and the factory." After that explanation a thought struck him, and he gave Aelita a second glance. "Do you...know what a laptop is?"

"Vaguely," came the answer. "I've never seen one, though." She watched Jeremie move away, and she leaned forward to try and get a better view. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting mine." A few moments later a thin, gun metal colored computer was set on an empty spot on the desk and opened. Jeremie trailed a wire from it to the main computer, looking at the sprite on-screen as soon as he stood up. "Can you transfer the necessary files between the computers, while I study the map? I want to find the quickest possible route between here and the factory."

"Of course." She began right after that, both computers sending out a number of beeps as information traveled over the connection. Jeremie watched for a few moments before bringing the map back up with a few short commands on the keyboard. He leaned forward, resting his chin in his palm as he traced street lines with his eyes. _I suppose that would be the quickest way..._ He sat back, sighing softly as he folded his arms. _If only there were a more direct route between here and the factory..._

"Done." His thoughts were shaken away at that simple statement from the other, and he turned to glance at his laptop, shutting it a moment later.

"Alright Aelita, thank you." Disconnecting the two computers, Jeremie slid the smaller into a carry case, pausing only to plug in a small headset. "I'll be leaving for the factory now, you can get back in touch with me in a few minutes. Just give me time to leave the schoolgrounds." He stood up and walked over to his door, stopping just a step or two from leaving. He glanced out behind him, mildly surprised to see the screens empty of anything except slowly passing green binary. When the moment passed he smiled to himself and opened the door. After looking back and forth in the quiet hallway, he took a calming breath and ran out, making sure to shut the door behind him.

* * *

Yumi Ishiyama headed down one of the outside halls of Kadic, a pair of books tucked against her chest in her arms. She walked alongside her longtime friend Ulrich Stern, who was carrying only a book satchel. Though neither of them spoke, they were both smiling. They, as well as other students, were on their way to the library for a study period. Or rather, that was the plan, until a familiar shape darted out of a doorway ahead of them and began charging across the campus. 

"Jeremie?" Yumi paused, looking over at Ulrich after that single word. She turned, watching the student run farther away from the building. She blinked twice, her eyebrows going up.

"Yeah, I think that is Jeremie! Hey, wait up!" The two of them began running after their friend, who thankfully _did_ stop and was now watching them as they came up.

"Yumi, Ulrich! What are you guys doing out here?"

"We've got study hall this period," Ulrich quickly answered when they'd caught up to him. "But if I'm correct, _you_ don't, so I could ask the same thing of you."

"Well uhh..." He was on the verge of answering with "You wouldn't believe me if I told you" when something akin to a gut feeling turned him silent. Although he wasn't one to give in to mere intuition very often, he obeyed a voice tugging at the corners of his mind, and motioned for them to follow him. "Come on. I'll tell you on the way." With that he started running again, in the same direction as before. Yumi and Ulrich passed a confused glance between themselves before taking strides after him, falling in step on either side.

"So what's up?" Yumi asked.

"Believe it or not," Jeremie began, "We're on our way to an abandoned factory to help a girl living in a virtual world parallel to our own."

"We're _what?_"

"It's true Ulrich," he continued. "She contacted me earlier when I was setting up my room. Her name is Aelita, and she inhabits a world called Lyoko. She said that this evil presence has taken over, and wants to wipe out the entire human race here on Earth!"

"So what can _we_ do about it?" Yumi asked. Jeremie shook his head, sighing softly.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to sit around and do _nothing_." He came to a stop, looking up at the gates of the school as he took a moment to catch his breath. The others did the same. "That's why I was going to the factory. To be able to grasp the situation better and see what I could do. Except I wasn't expecting to run into you two."

"I feel the same way as you do, Jeremie." Ulrich stood straighter, fixing his friend with a serious gaze. "I know you're not the type of person to lie, so I believe you with all of this. And I don't want to do nothing either when I KNOW I might be able to help!"

"Same here," Yumi agreed with a nod. Jeremie gave them both smiles prior to looking around to make sure they were alone.

"Thanks guys. Now, let's get to the factory, Aelita is waiting." As soon as he said that, his attention was drawn to the case on his back at a soft beeping from inside. "Speaking of, that's probably her now." He and his friends started running again, as Yumi glanced at her side.

"You can speak to her? Now?" she asked. Jeremie nodded in response, as a distinct computer voice said "Connection to Lyoko established" in his ear.

"_Jeremie? Are you there?_"

"I read you loud and clear, Aelita," Jeremie responded, one hand pushing the microphone of his headset a little closer to his mouth. "I'm on my way to the factory now. I should tell you though, I'm bringing a couple friends of mine with me."

"_Your friends?_"

"Ulrich and Yumi, they're schoolmates of mine who've also agreed to help." A thought struck him, and he swallowed lightly. "I hope that's alright..."

"_Well, I don't see why it wouldn't be_," Aelita returned in a pleasant voice. "_I'll see you all when you get to the factory, then_."

"We'll be there in a few minutes Aelita," Jeremie said with a hint of a smile. He missed the humored glance Yumi and Ulrich passed between themselves, at the tone of his voice. He was too busy running, thinking of the world that needed their help. Of the girl that needed his.

* * *

The factory sat in a deafening quiet, a hazy darkness, isolated on its island at a forgotten corner of the city. Footsteps had not permeated this lonely building for a week, but three sets echoed in it now. The small group looked around wide-eyed; it was the young girl who broke the awed silence first. 

"It...it looks big from the outside," Yumi said in a hushed voice, "but I had no idea it was _this_ big!"

"So... how do we get down, anyway?" Ulrich muttered, walking to the edge of the floor. He stood a few inches back from it, staring out into the expansive room, which was only half-lit by the loading door behind them. It was through this door that a breeze blew in, which consequently gave him his answer. Something swung in the gentle wind, brushing up against his shoulder; when he looked up, he gasped. "Ropes!"

"What?" Yumi glanced over, walking up beside her friend as he reached out and grabbed a slender shape in the shadows.

"We can use these ropes to get down." He smiled at her as he spoke. "See, if we get a running start, we can swing out and get down there." Ulrich finished up with a point, crouching a little as he gestured towards the lower ground floor.

"That's insane!" Jeremie exclaimed. "First of all, we're up at an ungodly height! Secondly, we don't know if those ropes are secure. And third, have you thought about the abrasions we'd get on our hands? Or the possibility of breaking something upon landing? What if--"

"Then just take a deep breath, wrap your hands in a handkerchief, and watch where you land," Yumi replied, smirking a little. Jeremie grunted, giving her a rather flat look. Faced with that, Yumi had to hide her giggle. "Fine, I'll go first. If I land alright, you boys can follow me down." Sliding her sleeves down further over her hands, she took a few steps back, staring at the gently moving ropes. All of a sudden the stillness was chased away by rapid footfalls, then a jubilant cry as she swung out into midair, dropping from view as she slid down the rope. The air whooshed around her, the sheer exhilaration making her forget about the burning she could feel even through her sleeves. She let out another whoop just before landing, her boots hitting the floor hard and skidding a little. Released, the rope swept back into place, tangling temporarily with another one there. Yumi panted a little, turning and grinning back up the way she came.

"Come on down, guys! It's fun!"

"For you, maybe..." Jeremie muttered under his breath. He gave Ulrich a smile. "Your turn."

"So I figured," the boy returned with a smirk. He slipped off his overshirt, wrapping it around one hand as he walked backwards. Looking at the ropes, he began running, leaping out when he'd reached the end of the floor and getting carried out by the line he'd grabbed. His laugh echoed up from below, though that did little to warm Jeremie up to the idea...

Yumi moved out of the way to give Ulrich room to land, which he did in much the same manner as she. Letting go of the rope, he gave her a wide smile.

"You're right, that is fun." Laughing softly, he put his shirt back on, looking upwards. "Come on, Jeremie! It's just you, now!"

"A-are you sure this is the only way down?" came a reply shout. "I'm sure I can find another way--"

"Probably, but that'd take too long!" Yumi replied. She smiled. "You DO want to see what this is all about as soon as possible, right? And see how you can help Aelita...?" She passed Ulrich a smirk when their friend announced he'd be right down.

Gulping faintly, Jeremie's eyes trailed up the ropes, and back down. As he stared down from the edge of the platform, he reminded himself of what he was here for. He inhaled deeply and stepped backwards, covering his hands with his sleeves. He drew in one more calming breath, before starting to run, his hands grabbing for a rope as he jumped off the edge of the floor.

The next thing he knew, hands were on him, grabbing his arms, though to him it felt like he was still moving. He forced his eyes open and looked around. The rope slipped away as he loosened his fingers.

"So?" Ulrich said expectantly. He helped Jeremie to a more steady standing position, giving him a smile, which the other just stared at for a moment.

"Let's just... let's just go," Jeremie muttered. He started walking across the floor, doing his best to ignore the shaky feeling in his knees. Yumi followed, falling in step beside him.

"Where do we need to go now?"

"Aelita told me that the rooms we need are accessible via the elevator here." Jeremie looked around said elevator as he entered it, while speaking directly into his headset. "Aelita?"

"_I'm here, Jeremie._"

"Good." He smiled to himself, looking out the front as Ulrich walked in behind Yumi. "We're in the elevator now, Aelita."

"_Alright. I'll enter the factory's system now, and bring you three to the computer room._"

"Thank you," Yumi said, after Jeremie relayed the message. Moments later, the freight elevator jumped into life, giving a mighty groan as the shutter door slid shut. The entire body trembled, then began sinking.

"I wonder what we're going to see down here," Yumi remarked. She looked up as a small squeal came from the cable wheels past the ceiling.

"No telling," Ulrich said. One hand went out for balance when the elevator suddenly lurched to a stop. "But we're about to find out." A strange beeping sounded in the ensuing silence; seconds later, some mechanism began to whir, telling the door was open. However--to the three's great surprise--it wasn't the shutter door, but instead the right-sided wall of the elevator. It slid up to reveal a wall with a circular mechanism of some sort in the center, which clicked and slid open with a loud hiss, and a few tendrils of smoke. Everyone gasped at what was revealed.

Beyond the elevator was a vaguely dome-shaped room, whose walls climbed up into darkness. The entire space had a noticeable greenish glow. Miles of wires of varying sizes traced paths everywhere, clumped together at one spot, or spiraling up towards the ceiling at another. And from the ceiling was what looked like a mount similar to a crane for a video camera, though this was considerably thicker, and probably hadn't moved in ages, if it even _could_ move. Not to mention that, at the base of the thing were a number of flat-panel computer screens, and a keyboard. In the center of the room was some circular structure, which looked like some sort of projector, with a 3D map of an odd globe above it. A chair on the track around this projector was positioned at the computer.

"What...what is this place?" Yumi whispered, walking inside.

"It...it looks like a computer lab, of some sort," Jeremie replied. His voice as well was hushed, even as he spoke into his headset now. "Aelita? Are you there?"

"I'm here."

The fact that the voice came, quite audibly, from the computer in the room gave them all quite a start, needless to say.

"Jeremie?"

As she called his name, he approached the computer, looking at it with wide eyes. Aelita's eyes tracked him as he moved into view, stopping in front of the chair, but not sitting. Yumi and Ulrich joined him, standing on either side.

"Is that...who you told us about, Jeremie?" Ulrich asked.

"I...yeah..." He swallowed thickly, and nodded. "That's her."

"It's nice to see you again, Jeremie," Aelita said with a smile. "Are these the friends you mentioned?"

Jeremie was only aware he was staring when he was given a light thump between the shoulderblades. Readjusting his glasses, he flashed Ulrich a look and turned back to Aelita, trying to ignore the blush he could feel growing.

"Y-yeah. This is Ulrich, and Yumi..."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Aelita said with a smile; the others returned the same.

"Okay, so we've got introductions out of the way," Ulrich remarked. "Why don't you tell us the full story, Aelita? Jeremie could only give us the barebones..."

"The...what?"

"The basics," Yumi said with a light smile.

"Oh, I see," Aelita giggled. She smiled, then nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you as much of the current situation as I know..."

Abstractly listening, Jeremie watched Aelita for a long moment before he finally turned his head, looking off to one side. He stepped aside as Yumi slid into the chair, moving away from the computer as the virtual girl continued her explanation. Sighing a little, Jeremie let his eyes travel up the walls of the room, tracing the twisted bundles of wires that hung partially in view from the ceiling.

It was about right at that moment that his foot kicked something.

He looked down with a surprised blink, his eyes opening a bit more when he saw a discarded leather-bound book lying near his feet. It wasn't until he knelt down that he noticed stains on the floor, a few shades darker than the overall green color of the rest of the room. And only when he picked up the book and glanced at the page it was open to did he realize just what those stains were.

"GAH!"

"Jeremie?" Ulrich and Yumi glanced over just in time to see him hurriedly drop a book, and take a number of steps back. They glanced at each other, then ran over to their friend.

While Ulrich talked to the boy, Yumi knelt and plucked the book from the floor. She started a little at a sudden shout.

"Careful, Yumi! There's blood on that book!"

"Really?" she asked, blinking. Turning it over, she let out a sharp little sound at seeing the dried splatters across the open pages. "There is!"

"It looks like it's on the floor too, here and there to the elevator," Jeremie said in a soft voice. He wrung his hands, swallowing lightly. "Be careful, that's pretty unsanitary..."

"I've got it under control," comforted Yumi. She glanced at Jeremie, then looked back down as she flipped the book back to the beginning, starting to page through it. "It looks like a...journal of sorts..."

"But what would a journal be doing down here?" Ulrich puzzled, scratching his head.

"A journal is like a log, correct?" asked a voice from the computer. "Then I believe my creator was keeping one."

"That's gotta be it then!" Yumi exclaimed. She skimmed over a page and shook her head. "There's certainly enough techno babble in here for it to belong to the kind of genius it'd take to create Lyoko..."

"Then..." Jeremie muttered. He scratched his chin, looking down at the aging smears that led to the exit. "If this is..." He paused. "...blood, then..." Sighing softly, he closed his eyes. "It doesn't look too good for the programmer..." When his eyes reopened, they were full of resolve as he turned and walked back to the computer, his fists balled lightly. "I've made up my mind, Aelita. I'm going to help you, and Lyoko, in any way I can."

"We want to help too," Yumi and Ulrich echoed.

"That's great!" replied the girl, smiling brightly. She sighed in relief as the smile remained, while she watched all three step back into view. "I know just how you can help, too, although..."

"Although...?" Yumi prompted. Aelita thought for a moment, before nodding once, to herself. She glanced at the group again.

"Well, one of the programs being done right before the disappearance of my creator was one to bring humans into Lyoko. I believe there's a room just below this one, or there appears to be on maps I was shown once. Last I heard it was incomplete, but its system file has been updated since then, so it might be ready by now."

"Here it is! I think," Yumi suddenly reported. She leaned forward a bit, holding the open book in front of Jeremie. "This entry talks about putting humans into Lyoko..."

"You're right about that, Yumi," Jeremie replied as his eyes glanced over the page. He took the book from her, reading a bit deeper. "But it says that someone will have to remain on this side, to monitor the computer."

"Well, that's right up your alley!" Ulrich smiled a bit, clapping his friend on the back. "Yumi and I can go into Lyoko, and you can stay over here to make sure nothing goes wrong." He looked between the others, then shrugged lightly. "Yumi and I can't do it, anyway..."

"You've got a point there," Jeremie agreed. He looked around at the smaller screens of the computer setup, nodding finally. "Alright. Aelita, would you please bring up the specifications for virtualization and open the program? I can take it from there, though I'll need you to let my friends into the room you mentioned as well."

"Right away," Aelita said with a smile. "Ulrich, Yumi, I'll need you two to go to the elevator." Moments later, her image vanished from the computer screen, replaced with one large window of data and several smaller ones. Many of the other screens changed as well, to add additional information to it. Leaning forward and bracing his chin in his hand, Jeremie looked over the report, giving a small thoughtful noise.

"Doesn't look too difficult..." He smiled and sat back, leaning to one side and waving slightly as the others made their way over to the elevator doors. "Good luck you guys. Let me know how it is, okay?"

"Will do, Jeremie," Yumi said with a smile. She and Ulrich stepped into the elevator, and vanished behind the doors, as Jeremie put the journal aside and began to type.

Inside the elevator, Ulrich put his hands in his pockets and looked towards the top of the wall-door, sighing softly. Closing his eyes briefly, he turned to the girl at his side. "Nervous?"

"Yeah, a little..." She smiled a bit, and Ulrich thought he saw the faintest tint of pink in her cheeks before she turned her head. "But it's the good kind of nervous, I think."

"Yeah. Same here." They shared a smile, as the elevator clanged to a stop, and the immense doors opened. Turning to look ahead, they both gasped at the sight of the room beyond.

"Whoa..."

"_What is it, guys?_"

"You..." Yumi said, having to force herself to raise her voice so the crackly intercom system could pick up her voice. "You've GOT to see this room, Jeremie!"

"_Maybe another time. For now, you two need to get virtualized. Aelita says there should be scanners, or similar, down there. Do you see anything like that?_"

"Well, if she means these big tube thingies, then yeah we do." Ulrich stepped into the golden light, looking up at one of the aforementioned brass-colored cylinders.

"_Big tube...? Forget it. That has to be them._"

"So I assume we just get inside," Yumi remarked as she walked into the center of the triangle, giving the domed hole cover in the middle of the floor only a cursory glance.

"_Affirmative. Get inside, and I'll... I'll send you to Lyoko._" As he said that, two of the tubes opened with a spill of steam and yellow light. Ulrich and Yumi looked at each other, before walking into the ones they each stood near, turning towards the front as the doors shut.

"They're in the scanners," Aelita stated.

"Good, thank you Aelita." Jeremie smiled lightly, as he continued typing. "Initializing virtualization procedure now..."

Yumi looked around in surprise as the light in the scanner suddenly increased, bringing with it a small wind blowing from the bottom. She looked down, as the edges of her clothes and hair began to flutter.

"Transfer, Yumi. Transfer, Ulrich." Empty data cards flashing across the screen were reflected in his glasses. He watched as larger screens opened up, digital impressions of their bodies filling in the blank spaces on the left side of each, from the feet up.

Ulrich watched the ring inside the scanner move up and down his body, before resettling at the bottom of the tube. He couldn't help but gasp faintly when the wind inside increased, little beads of light flowing up with it.

"Scanner, Yumi. Scanner, Ulrich..."

The images of his friends on-screen began to fill in with a slight color, as the data cards gained pictures as well. He swallowed thickly and glanced at Aelita, who nodded. Inside the scanners, the wind practically screamed as the light balls merged together and became a blinding glow. Steeling himself, Jeremie let out a breath and pressed the Enter key; a split second later, the light burst and seemed to swallow the two, erasing any feeling and seeming to take them with it as it faded.

"Virtualization!"

* * *

**Preview of Chapter 7**  
"Guys! You're taking a HUGE risk!" Jeremie shouted. He was practically to the point of grabbing at his hair as he watched the icons of his friends fly across the screen. "Just get OUT of there!" 

"We're _trying_, Jeremie!" Ulrich snapped back. He looked behind them at the trio of Crabs clanking after their group. Narrowing his eyes, he skidded to a stop and let his momentum swing him around to face the oncoming monsters. Behind him, the girls stopped and turned.

"Ulrich, what are you doing?" Yumi screeched. "We need to run!"

"Look, just get Aelita out of here." He checked to make sure his sword was clear in the sheath, as the Crabs charged on. "I'll take care of them." Clenching his teeth, he whipped out his weapon and ran for the oncoming monsters.

"ULRICH!"

* * *


End file.
